According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lung cancer is one of the biggest health problems facing the world today and is the leading cause of cancer cases and deaths worldwide. An estimated 2.5 million new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed every year, and 1.8 million people die from it annually.

“Lung cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably in the lungs. Treatments depend on the person’s medical history and the stage of the disease.” WHO writes on its website. “The two main types of lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for around 85% of cases, and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which is less common but typically more aggressive.”

A team of German researchers affiliated with the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Rostock University Medical Center, the Electron Microscopy Center at Rostock University Medical Center, and the University of Rostock recently conducted a study examining lesser-known cannabinoids cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabichromene (CBC) and their effects on lung cancer cells. The researchers’ findings were published in the journal Antioxidants.

“There is now substantial preclinical evidence supporting an anticancer action of various cannabinoids in different tumor entities. This effect extends to inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, as well as induction of apoptosis and autophagy. In addition, synergy between cannabinoids and established chemotherapeutics at the level of tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis was demonstrated in many cases.” the researchers wrote.

The researchers obtained lung cancer cells from the German Collection of Microorganisms (A549) and Cell Cultures and the American Type Culture Collection (H460). The researchers cultured the cells in a humidified incubator and further prepared them for use in the study, after which the cells were treated with CBG and CBC.

“The non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids CBG and CBC, which remain comparatively underexplored, were shown to induce pronounced pro-apoptotic effects and mitochondrial dysfunction in the human lung cancer cell lines A549 and H460, with CBG acting via the transcription factor PPARα to promote apoptotic cell death. Notably, CBG exerted stronger effects than CBC with regard to cell viability reduction and inhibition of mitochondrial respiration, suggesting greater translational relevance for therapeutic development.” the researchers concluded. “The involvement of PPARα in CBG-mediated cytotoxicity warrants further investigation in preclinical models and across additional tumor entities.”

Cannabigerol was first isolated from a hexane extract of hashish in 1964 by Israeli scientists Dr. Yehiel Gaoni and Dr. Raphael Mechoulam at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel. Cannabichromene was identified two years later in 1966 through research conducted by Dr. Mechoulam and Dr. Gaoni in Israel, and by Dr. R.A. Claussen and his team in Germany. Over the years, the two cannabinoids have not been the focus of as much research as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD); however, research of lesser-known cannabinoids has increased in recent years.